Department for Transport

East-West Rail Link: Electrification

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the planned rail link between Oxford and Cambridge will involve electrification of the entire line; and if not, why not.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is committed to decarbonisation, including delivering a net-zero carbon railway. The case for the electrification of East West Rail is being considered, which includes consideration of full electrification along the whole route, as well as options for partial electrification using battery-electric hybrid rolling stock, or hydrogen traction.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Employment Agencies: EU Countries

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government to define whether hybrid companies, which offer both services and recruitment services in the EU, would be categorised as agencies or as service companies under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Lord Callanan: Whether the activities of a UK company comprise recruitment agency services or other services (or both) under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) will depend on the nature of those activities in each specific case, and may vary over time or between different contracts for the same company.

Employment Agencies: EU Countries

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement restricts service provision to a maximum of 12 months.

Lord Callanan: The UK-EU Trade & Co-operation Agreement (TCA) is based on best precedent set by the EU’s trade deals with Japan and Canada. The TCA ensures that both Parties offer a minimum standard of treatment for business travellers, such as guaranteed lengths of stay of up to 12 months for contractual service suppliers and independent (self-employed) professionals, subject to Member State reservations. This is in line with EU-Japan and CETA precedent, reflects the domestic immigration systems of most of the signatories of the agreement, and is more generous than the typical range of WTO commitments for this category of service suppliers.

Employment Agencies: EU Countries

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their understanding of the term 'agency' as it appears in the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement in the context of the employment of 'contractual service suppliers' under Article SERVIN.4.1: Scope and definitions 5(b); and whether this definition includes recruitment or language services.

Lord Callanan: The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) uses the United Nations’ Central Production Classification (CPC) (prov., 1991) to identify individual sectors and sub-sectors. Where the TCA says ‘other than through an agency for placement and supply services of personnel’, it is referring to CPC 872. CPC 872 includes, but is not limited to, executive search services (87201) (‘services consisting in the search for, selection and referral of executive personnel for employment by others’); placement services of office support personnel and other workers (87202) (‘services consisting in selecting, referring and placing applicants in employment by others on a permanent or temporary basis, except executive search services’); and supply services of office support personnel (87203) (‘services consisting in supplying on a fee or contract basis to the clients, whether on a temporary or long-term basis, office support personnel hired by the supplier, who pays their emoluments’). Her Majesty’s Government understands the term ‘agency’ to mean a business or organisation providing a particular service on behalf of another business. Her Majesty’s Government understands ‘an agency for placement and supply services of personnel’ to include recruitment services, of the kind described under CPC 872, but not language services. Language services may be better categorised under the subsector ‘translation and interpretation services’ (see Annex 19 (previously Annex SERVIN-4)).

Employment Agencies: EU Countries

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, contract brokers are to be treated as service providers in a business-to-business relationship with the contracted services provider, or as recruitment agencies.

Lord Callanan: Under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) the classification of the activities carried out by each UK and EU firm will depend on the specific services it provides, which may vary over time or as between different contracts. It would be possible for a single firm to carry out multiple activities at the same or different times (for example, to act both as a contract broker and as a recruitment agency).

Sizewell C Power Station

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response byBaroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 3 February (HL Deb, col 2168),whether they have made a decision to proceed with the construction by EDF of the new nuclear power station Sizewell C; and, if so, when this decision was made.

Lord Callanan: I assume my noble Friend is referring to our announcement to the House that we are entering negotiations with EDF, in relation to Sizewell C. Our aim is to bring at least one large-scale nuclear project to the point of Final Investment Decision by the end of this Parliament. No decision has yet been taken to proceed with Sizewell C, and the successful conclusion of these negotiations will be subject to full Government, regulatory and other approvals, including value for money.

Hydrogen: Job Creation

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase manufacturing jobs in the UK hydrogen market.

Lord Callanan: My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to unlock three times as much private sector investment by 2030. The Ten Point Plan and Energy White Paper both set out that the Government, working with industry, aims to have 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030. The Government will publish a dedicated Hydrogen Strategy in the first half of this year. This will offer more detail on how we will work with industry to meet the 2030 ambition. Driving the growth of low carbon hydrogen could deliver support for up to 8,000 jobs by 2030, potentially unlocking up to 100,000 domestic and export jobs by 2050 in a high hydrogen scenario. To ensure we have the skilled workforce to deliver net zero, including our commitments on hydrogen, the government has launched the Green Jobs Taskforce, working in partnership with business, skills providers and unions, to help develop plans for new long-term good quality, green jobs by 2030.

Hydrogen: Investment

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to incentivise private investment in the UK hydrogen market.

Lord Callanan: We recognise the importance that government ambition, coupled with a supportive policy framework, has had in building investor confidence in the development of low carbon technologies in the UK. My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to unlock three times as much private sector investment by 2030. The Ten Point Plan and Energy White Paper both set out that the Government, working with industry, aims to have 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030.In support of this we have announced a £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund for co-investment in new low carbon hydrogen production, to bring forward a combination of CCUS-enabled ‘blue’ hydrogen and electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects. This year, we are bringing forward detail on hydrogen business models and the revenue mechanism, to stimulate private investment in new low carbon hydrogen production facilities. The Government will publish a dedicated Hydrogen Strategy in the first half of this year. This will offer more detail on how we will work with industry to meet the 2030 ambition.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether migrants who have not paid the International Health Surcharge will be charged for a COVID-19 vaccination; and whether there will be any checks on a person's immigration status before such vaccinations are carried out.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether COVID-19 vaccinations will be made available to EU nationals who have not confirmed their status under the EU Settlement Scheme after the 30 June deadline for applications has passed.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether NHS staff organising COVID-19 vaccination appointments are required to ask patients for proof of residence in the UK.

Lord Bethell: Vaccination against COVID-19 is a primary care service and is free to everyone living in England, including all overseas visitors, regardless of their immigration status or nationality. This includes anyone living in the United Kingdom without permission. This service is not within scope of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 and as no charges apply, immigration status checks are not required in order to assess eligibility.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 tests were processedon each day between 7 and 14 October; and how long did it take to notify individuals of the results of those tests.

Lord Bethell: The following table shows the number of tests processed on each day between 7 to 14 October 2020:7 October 2020152,0518 October 2020153,7139 October 2020168,78310 October 2020150,74311 October 2020155,66712 October 2020146,20713 October 2020146,07314 October 2020164,270 The following table shows the median time for pillar 2 testing from test to notification from 1 to 14 October 2020: 1-7 October 20208-14 October 2020Regional test sites28 hours45 hoursLocal test sites29 hours47 hoursMobile testing units78 hours41 hoursHome testing kits75 hours78 hours

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the concerns expressed by the Alzheimer’s Society on 1 February about the impact of delaying the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination on care home residents.

Lord Bethell: Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines provide a high degree of protection after the first dose. The decision to update the dosing interval is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and is designed to save lives. It was made following a thorough review of the data and was in line with the recommendations of the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers. The JCVI advised that we should prioritise giving as many people in at-risk groups their first dose, rather than providing two doses in as short a time as possible.

Healthy Start Scheme: Vitamins

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the shelf life ofHealthy Start vitamins; and what steps they take to ensure that such vitamins are delivered within at least three months of expiry.

Lord Bethell: The shelf-life of Healthy Start Vitamins tablets for women is 24 months and the shelf-life of Healthy Start Vitamins drops for children is 15 months. The Service Level Agreement under which Healthy Start Vitamins are supplied to local areas ensures that stocks with sufficient shelf-life should be dispatched and this should be a minimum of three months.

Test and Trace Support Payment

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether councils will be given discretion over the payment of the £500 self-isolation Test and Trace support grant so that councils can pay those claimants who do not submit their claim within two weeks, providing a legitimate reason is given for the delay in the application.

Lord Bethell: Individuals can apply for a Test and Trace Support Payment up to 28 days after their first day of self-isolation. This cut-off period is the same across all local authorities. In the event a local authority believes there is a legitimate reason an applicant has not been able to apply within the 28-day application period – for example, because they were ill in hospital and could not reasonably have been expected to make an application – they should use their discretion on a case-by-case basis in deciding whether to accept an application.

Healthy Start Scheme: Vitamin D

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) level, and (2) adequacy, of Vitamin D content in Healthy Start vitamins.

Lord Bethell: Healthy Start Vitamins are made available free to people on Healthy Start, as a public health intervention to support the adequate daily intake of key micronutrients. Healthy Start Vitamins tablets for women and Healthy Start Vitamins drops for children both contain a daily dose of ten microgrammes of vitamin D.

National Institute for Health Protection

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they made towards the developmentof the National Institute for Health Protection.

Lord Bethell: Plans are on track to establish the National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP) in spring 2021 with staff and systems moving into the new organisation over the following months. The recruitment process for the NIHP Chief Executive is ongoing and the outcome will be announced in due course.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to carry out a national security risk assessment as part of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy; whether any such assessment will be published; and if so, where.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Integrated Review will cover all aspects of international and national security policy - defence, diplomacy, development and national resilience. Uniting development and diplomacy in one department brings together Britain's international effort to have even greater impact and influence on the world stage as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The Review will assess what will be needed to deliver our new strategy, in addition to seizing the opportunities offered by the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.The full conclusions of the Integrated Review will be announced in March.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Honey Bees: Northern Ireland

Lord Swinfen: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether honey bees moved from Northern Ireland to the rest of theUKmust be destroyed; and if so, why.

Lord Swinfen: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland impactsthe movement of Italian bees from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: It is not the case that honey bees moved from Northern Ireland to other parts of the UK must be destroyed.EU member states may export bees to Northern Ireland in line with intra-Union trade rules. Queen honey bees can be imported into any part of the UK from Italy and other EU countries but packages and colonies of honey bees can only be imported into Northern Ireland. There is, and will remain, unfettered access for honey bees which qualify as a Northern Ireland good to the rest of the UK market. The basis on which businesses may qualify for unfettered access is clearly set out in legislation passed last year.

Animal Welfare: Brexit

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what legislation is in place that expressly recognises animals as “sentient beings” and requires Government to pay full regard to animals as sentient beings in formulating and implementing policy, now that Article 13 of theTreaty on the Functioning of the EU no longer applies in UK law.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Now that we have established a new relationship with the European Union, we have a unique opportunity to shape future animal welfare policy in the UK to ensure our already high animal welfare standards are maintained and enhanced.There has never been any question that this Government's policies on animal welfare are driven by the fact that animals are sentient beings. We have committed to bringing in new laws on animal sentience. Any necessary changes required to domestic legislation will be made in an effective and credible way and will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.The Government will ensure that animal sentience is not only recognised in domestic law, but that we will have an effective and proportionate means of taking animal sentience into account in policy making.Here in the UK, we are already improving animal welfare standards without EU input and beyond the scope of Article 13. The Government is committed to taking action to improve animal welfare at home and abroad, including by increasing maximum sentences for animal cruelty, banning third party sales of puppies, and introducing one of the world's toughest bans on ivory sales. We have also made CCTV mandatory in slaughterhouses and we are planning other reforms. These steps show how seriously this Government gives regard to animal welfare.

Cabinet Office

UK Trade with EU

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord True on 2 February (HL12298), whether they will now (1) answer the question put, namely whether they have made any assessment of the possible competitive disadvantages to (a) England, (b) Wales, and (c) Scotland, of not being in the EU Single Market; and if so, what was the result of any such assessment, and (2) over whom Northern Ireland has a "competitive advantage" by being in the EU Single Market for goods.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK has left the EU Single Market and Customs Union with a deal that means the UK can now regulate in a way that suits the UK economy and UK businesses – doing things in a more innovative and effective way, without being bound by EU rules. The Northern Ireland Protocol protects the territorial integrity of the UK by safeguarding Northern Ireland’s place in the UK’s customs territory and internal market, ensuring unfettered access to Great Britain for Northern Ireland businesses, while also facilitating the free flow of goods between Northern Ireland and the EU. The questions of the advantages of relationships with the EU single market and customs union have been extensively debated over the last four years. I note that the Liberal Democrats campaigned to reverse Brexit in the last General Election, but the people of the United Kingdom voted to Get Brexit Done, endorsing the Conservative commitment to leave the Single Market and Customs Union.

Local Government: Elections

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make provisionfor (1) the suspension, or (2) the cancellation, of polls on 6 May in the event of a local emergency, including a local surge in COVID-19 casesresulting from an outbreak of a new variant which spreads rapidly, in a particular (a) polling district, (b) electoral division, (c) local authority, and (d) mayoral or police commissioner election; and who will have the authority to make such decisions under any such plans.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they plan to put in place to ensure that applications for a proxy vote for the elections on 6 May (1) are made by the person to whom the vote belongs, (2) are accompanied by clear and full information on why a proxy vote is being requested, (3) are not systematically collected by political parties or candidates at those elections or persons acting on their behalf, (4) include contact information for the applicant, and (5) ensure that late applications can be efficiently and properly processed.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions will be given (1) to returning officers for, and (2) to persons acting on their behalf at, the elections on 6 May on how to proceed if two or more applications to appoint a proxy are made in respect of the same elector and they purport to appoint different persons as the proxy for that elector; and whether any such instructions include guidance on what to do should multiple such applications behanded in at the same time at the last possible time for such applications.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a local authority employeecandecline to carry out duties in relation to (1) the operation of polling stations on 6 May, (2) the counting of votes in relation toelections on that day, and (3) other activities involving direct contact with members of the public.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them. The Government has published a clear Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. Proxy voting rules will be changed, enabling those who need to self-isolate to request an emergency proxy vote at short notice - right up to 5pm on polling day itself. This will mean that voters who have tested positive for COVID-19, or are self isolating, can still have their say in these elections without having to leave their residence. It is an offence to provide false information on any voter registration form or any form requesting an absent vote. Information will have to be taken at face value as not all electors will be able to produce evidence. For example, some electors will be self-isolating due to contact with others. Others may show symptoms too late to be tested or otherwise have symptoms and are unable to produce a positive test. Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Farmers: Broadband

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the National Farmers Union NFU digital survey results, published on 8 February, and (2) the finding in that report that more than four in ten farmers do not have access to fast and reliable broadband.

Baroness Barran: The Government has delivered superfast broadband to over five million premises, mainly in rural areas, which means that 96% of UK premises have access to superfast speeds and the UK has one of the highest rates of rural superfast coverage in Europe.However, the Government recognises that further investment in rural broadband is needed, as the National Farmers Union’s recent report demonstrates. That is why the Government is investing an unprecedented £5 billion to further subsidise deployment of gigabit broadband in the hardest to reach 20% of the country. The majority of this funding will be deployed in rural areas, and will connect farms in these areas. The £5 billion investment will prioritise deployment to premises without access to superfast broadband, where possible.

Rural Areas: Broadband and Mobile Phones

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the lack of rural broadband and mobile phone connectivity; and how they plan to address the issue.

Baroness Barran: Over 96% of all premises in the UK can access superfast broadband thanks to the success of our Superfast Broadband Programme, meaning the UK has one of the highest levels of rural superfast connectivity in Europe. The Government is committed to further improve the UK’s broadband infrastructure and deliver nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. As part of this, we are investing an unprecedented £5 billion of subsidy to support the deployment of gigabit broadband in the hardest-to-reach, predominantly rural, areas of the country through our new UK Gigabit Programme.We have already made significant progress in connecting rural premises to gigabit speeds and, since 2018, have delivered gigabit-capable connectivity to over half a million homes and businesses in some of the hardest to reach places in the country, through our existing Superfast Broadband and £200 million Rural Gigabit Connectivity programmes.The Government is also committed to extending geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK. On 9 March 2020, we announced the £1 billion Shared Rural Network deal with the Mobile Network Operators. This landmark deal will see operators collectively increase mobile phone coverage throughout the UK to 95% by the end of programme, underpinned by legally binding coverage commitments.On 27 January 2021, the operators Three, O2 and Vodafone announced a joint venture to build and share 222 new masts to boost coverage across the UK to deliver the first stage of the SRN. This will result in increased coverage in each of the UK nations.

Gambling

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Barran on 7 January (HL Deb, col 281), and the statement that "the vast majority of people who gamble do not experience harm", what assessment they have made of the report by Naomi Muggleton et al The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data, published in Nature on 4 February.

Baroness Barran: The 2016 combined Health Surveys, estimated that 1.2% of people who gamble are likely to be problem gamblers, with a further 2% at moderate risk, and 4.4% at low risk of experiencing some harm related to gambling. The Health Surveys use two validated screening questionnaires to assess problem gambling, which ask whether respondents have experienced a range of negative behaviours and outcomes related to gambling including spending more than they could afford to lose, chasing losses and borrowing money to pay gambling debts.Recently published analysis of banking transaction data has demonstrated a correlation between higher rates of gambling spend as a proportion of income and indicators of lower financial inclusion, wellbeing and healthiness. These correlations were generally strongest after the 75th percentile of spend levels. The analysis found that the majority of people who gamble spend only a small proportion of their income on gambling, and did not establish a causative link between gambling spend and the indicators identified.The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. The Review will be wide-ranging and evidence led, and aims to make sure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age.

UK Trade with EU: Non-tariff Barriers

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of non-tariff barriers to trade on small and medium-sized enterprises in the cultural sector which have exported to EU customers since 1 January 2021.

Baroness Barran: The Government recognises the importance of the creative and cultural sectors, and is fully committed to assist them to navigate the new rules under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.The Agreement ensures there will be zero tariffs or quotas on trade between the UK and the EU, where goods meet the relevant rules of origin, and includes provisions to facilitate trade and address non-tariff barriers for UK exports to the EU and vice versa.The Government appreciates that leaving the European Union and the Customs Union will mean changes and new processes, and companies having to adapt to new rules of origin procedures.We will continue engagement to understand the circumstances of companies in the cultural and creative sector, and to support them to adapt to new trading arrangements with the EU.